


Fighting Gold an Arthur story

by TheUltimateCombo



Category: Arthur (Cartoon)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Missing Persons, Mystery, Summer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23911789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheUltimateCombo/pseuds/TheUltimateCombo
Summary: Fern is on summer vacation from her first year at community college. Surrounded by a new group of friends, Fern hopes to study them for her next novel. However, ever the curious one, Fern makes the switch to detective as she and her friends investigate the disappearance of a girl by the name of Robin Hawke. Does Fern have what it takes to solve the case? And will the price of experience be too high?(Various Original Characters to populate the world)
Kudos: 1





	1. Summer Breaks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SSChrys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SSChrys/gifts).



Summer vacation had officially begun. As soon as Professor Peterson’s excruciating math lecture was over, and the bell had rung, first year college graduate Fern Walters exited the bustling community college alongside hundreds of her other classmates. The warm glow of the sun shined brightly on the young students, as if a sign of the bright future ahead. Fern couldn’t be more elated as her classes had given her much needed knowledge to expand her writing horizons. Even better, she had managed to cling to a small group of friends who were ready to spend the summer with her.

As Fern strode up the central path of the school, she was flagged down by a girl her own age, with pixie cut raven hair, and her friend, a dark-skinned girl with long braids. Fern waved back excitedly, hurrying over to her friends.

“Someone’s ready for summer,” the raven haired girl grinned. Fern smiled sheepishly, replying,

“Yeah, Victoria. So much to do, so little time.”

“Well, Vicky and I were heading back to our dorm room to finishing packing. Are ya coming?”

“Sure thing, Teresa. Sounds like fun.” And with that, Victoria led the girls off to the dormitories.

The air around campus was free-spirited, with loud hoops and hollers being heard throughout the complex. Even a few teachers seemed quite over the whole year, exiting the parking lots in style. As the trio drew ever closer to their dorm, droves of students passed them by, busy in conversation, backpacks and other luggage in hand. Fern looked on in awe, buzz now meant that for the next four months McLoughlin Community College would be deserted. As Victoria unlocked the door, the trio piled into the small apartment. Teresa flopped onto the couch, head aback. Victoria began rummaging through the pantry, as Fern began packing up the rose gold laptop that sat upon a coffee table.

“So, girls,” Teresa posited, “how do we go about making this summer the best of our lives?”

“Well first,” Victoria began without missing a beat, “a whole summer’s supply of free pizza. Gotta stock up on those carbs.”

Teresa snorted from the couch. “How do you plan on swindling that much food from Mister Rilde?”

“Please, T. We’re practically family. But if that fails, we could always use Kent.”

“What about you Fern? Got any plans to make this summer absolutely kick-ass?” Teresa asked, straining her neck to look at Fern.

Fern blinked at the two, unsure of a response. Eventually she cleared her throat.  
“Well, I was hoping for some good material for my novel, so…”

Teresa raised an amused eyebrow, “Oh, how could we forget the novel! Come on, Vi, we need to give Fern a best seller!”

“Murder mystery,” Victoria nodded seriously. “Based on a true story.”

Teresa burst out laughing, leaning forward. “How about a group of teens who do absolutely nothing all summer?”

“Totally,” Victoria chimed, “All they do is sit silently and text all day. It’ll be a hit with the older crowd.”

Fern smiled and shook her head. “I already have a plot; I just want character studies.”  
Her dormmates seemed to consider this information deeply. Teresa grabbed her duffle bag, as Victoria turned back to the pantry. Spreading the canned goods apart, she commented,  
“Well for tonight, we’re all meeting at Billy’s to commemorate 1 year since the founding of The Order.”

“But it’s only been eight months…” Teresa began.

“Shh,” Victoria turned, a finger at her lips. “1 year.”

Fern was just finished with zipping up her computer when Victoria let out a curse.  
“Where is it!?” she hissed, shoving more canned corn out of the way.

“What are you looking for?” Fern asked.

“Her stash,” Teresa chuckled. Fern stared at Victoria wide-eyed.

“Shut up. It’s not…It’s just something special I usually keep back here.”

Teresa gave Fern a pointed look. When the door opened, their last two roommates stepping in.

“Rina,” Victoria called out, “have you seen my, um…” She turned to Teresa and Fern before motioning the ginger girl over. After whispering exactly what she was looking for, Rina shook her head, popping a Skittle in her mouth. Victoria pointed to the sandwich bag in Rina’s hand, whispering something else, when Rina extended her bag full of rainbow-colored treats.  
Victoria sighed, grabbing a handful of Skittles. The last girl, Emily strayed over to the couch. After sitting down, she excitedly pulled out two tiny bags of Skittles, which alerted Victoria.

“Would you guys like some?” Emily asked extending the bags to Teresa and Fern. The two cut their eyes to Victoria as her eyes went red. Oblivious, Emily continued, “I found a whole box in the cupboards last night! I’ve been sharing them around campus.”

Fern chuckled nervously and put up a hand, “No thanks, Emily. Thanks though. Hey, Teresa, I need some help with a few things.”  
Teresa gave an uneasy grin as she nodded and followed Fern into their shared bedroom.


	2. Billy's Burger Barn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the dinner at the burger barn, Fern gains valuable insight on her friends, and identifies a man of unknown importance.

Fern felt stylish, walking into the gourmet burger joint in a plum-colored jacket, with olive green slacks. Victoria and Teresa had preceded her into the restaurant, while Rina and her cousin Roan stepped in after. A skinny pale arm flagged them down and the quintet found their way to the long table towards the back of the restaurant. As the group took their seats, Fern found herself next to Kent Drake, a slender guy of twenty who persisted in wearing his red Phillies cap.

“Ah, Ladies and Gentle-knight of the Round Table, we welcome you,” Kent greeted with a grin.

When Teresa and Victoria merely snorted, Dante, one of the others at the table, spoke up, “He’s been practicing that for the last twenty minutes. Told you it was goofy, man.”

“No, you didn’t,” Kent replied.

“Well, they clearly think so,” Dante waved towards the group that had just joined the table, and Victoria fell out laughing.

“Pssh, what-ever,” Kent crossed his arms with a smirk. “She calls us the Order. So now who’s goofy?”

“I thought it was clever,” Fern lied, an encouraging smile upon her lips.

“Wait, didn’t King Arthur have twelve knights though?” Neil, the final guy at the table, questioned. He looked around the table. Next to him sat Emily, his sister, Dante, Kent, Fern, Roan, Rina, Teresa, and Victoria.  
“There’s only nine of us.”

“And it’s only been eight months since you guys started school, so you know,” Roan muttered, eyeing his menu.

“It doesn’t have to make sense. It’s not about the logic,” Victoria began, “it’s about the atmosphere. Good friends, good food!”  
Roan laughed sarcastically at the remark on good food, as if Billy’s was more than discount Five Guys. Fern followed Roan’s lead by picking up her own menu and perusing its contents. She was content with a simple cheeseburger, with maybe some bacon to spice things up. Suddenly, Kent’s shadow appeared over her menu.

“Hey, wat’cha tryin’?”

“Maybe a bacon cheeseburger?” Fern replied shyly.

“Not bad,” Kent mused. “Certainly better than a plain cheeseburger. But you should try the Honolulu Burger. It’s got ham and pineapple on it.” When Fern grimaced, Kent laughed.  
“That’s what should happen when you put ‘pineapple’ and ‘burger’ in the same sentence, Rina.”

“So, you’ve never tried the Honolulu Burger?” Fern asked.

“Hell no,” Kent snorted. “Ri’s the only one who ever gets it.”  
Fern looked over at Rina, who timidly hid behind her menu.

“Honolulu Burger, Hawaiian Pizza, she’s definitely got a pineapple fetish,” Kent continued, earning him a kick from under the table. When he winced, Victoria smiled coyly at him.  
“If it’s so bad, then you should try one. For credibility purposes.”  
After the table erupted in snickers, Kent smirked, “You’re on, Bold. And if I’m getting one of those monstrosities, then you are too.”

“Deal.”

The waitress finally arrived, starting with drink orders. After the table had ordered their beverages, she asked, “Do you guys still need a minute?”

“No ma’am, I think we’re all getting the same thing,” Kent began, enticing a set of dangerous glares from around the table, “Nine Honolulu Burgers. One for each of us. On second thought, me and that lovely lady over there will have two for each of us.”

The waitress nervously jotted down their orders before moving off to enter said orders into the POS. When she was far enough away, Dante was the first to speak, “What the hell, dude.”  
As the disgruntled group began complaining at Kent, Fern heard the bell above the door jingle. A tall, dark-skinned man gracefully stalked into the restaurant. He walked up to the bar area, grabbing a one page menu. Fern took in his sight completely. His attire, his steely demeanor. Maybe he’d be the perfect protagonist for her new book. A detective, hard-boiled, and down on his luck. Entering a diner (and not a burger joint) late at night to the chatter of rowdy teens. Fern smiled in spite of herself; it wasn’t enough to make the plot, but it was a setting she could work with. The door jingled again. This time two police officers entered the establishment. The one, a brown-haired cop with shades and a widow’s peak sauntered to the restroom. The other, a balding blonde with a khaki-colored moustache, looked around before stepping over to the bar, and sitting next to the prior patron. Fern raised her eyebrow quizzically. As the suited man took a swig from his beer, the cop seemed to be expounding even deeper on their conversation. He leaned almost halfway across the counter, the “ECPD” on his jacket stretching and fading with the light. The cop then settled into a more relaxed pose, granting the waitress a passive wave. The suited man mouthed something to the officer, before laying down some money for his drink, and leaving the restaurant. Soon after his departure, the other officer came back to his partner, a cocky grin on his face. Telling a joke his colleague was not amused by, the two left together.

Fern attempted to process what she’d just witnessed. Was the man a detective in real? Or perhaps an informant, like Alerick from the Henry Skreever books. Or maybe he was with the mafia, and the cop was dirty. Did Elwood City even have a mafia? Fern was halfway through a hundred scenarios before the brown-haired cop returned to the restaurant. Fern was snapped out of her curiosity by plates and glasses hitting the table. Kent swallowed audibly, looking down at the tag team of ham, beef, and pineapple atrocities before him. Victoria taunted him by taking a tantalizing bite out of her first burger, raising her eyebrow in amusement. As the rest of table began eating, in varying stages of irritation, Fern took a long sip from her iced tea. Suddenly, Victoria looked up with recognition on her face.

“Cooper!?”

“Oh my,” A strong voice with an edge of coarseness sounded from behind Fern. “Two burgers? Is this scoundrel,” he ruffled Kent’s hair through his cap, “rubbing off on you?”

“Not at all. I’m actually teaching him a lesson,” Victoria smirked pointedly at Kent. Fern looked up to recognize Cooper as one of the police officers.

“Ha, we’ll see if he learns it.”

“What are you doing here?” Rina asked.

“Well, I initially came to take a leak,” Cooper started, “Then I realized I left my phone on the sink. Saw Chip’s daughter and decided to drop in. Don’t worry,” he winked at Victoria, “Dad’s not gonna hear it from me. Catch ya fine folks later!” Cooper waved to the rest of the table before leaving.

As the door jingled yet again, Fern asked, “How do you know Cooper?”

“Vi’s dad’s a police officer,” Dante supplied. “Didn’t you know that?”

“No,” Fern said, staring at Victoria, “she never told me.”

“Just in case you’re ever pulled over, make sure she’s in the car,” Kent grinned.

“I’m already halfway done,” Victoria remarked, causing Kent to grumble as he took another bite out of his first burger.  
“Anyway, I guess it just never came up. So, now you know: Chip Bold, officer with the two-seven precinct. Also my dad.”

“Do you know lots of police officers?” Fern continued inquiring.

“Not really, just a couple of my dad’s patrol members.”

“And that girl who sits at the reception desk,” Emily added cheekily.

“Oh my god, do not remind me,” Victoria huffed.

“Have you ever thought of being a police officer?” Fern asked with just a bit too much enthusiasm.  
Downing her glass of fruit punch in a long slurp, Victoria replied, “No. You?”

“Well, I do enjoy mysteries a lot. I’ve thought about becoming a detective.”

“Then we’ve totally got to plan a mystery adventure this summer! Let Fern earn her wings!” Teresa chimed. “Just nothing too crazy. No murder…”  
“Aw,” Victoria sighed.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Kent mused. “I bet we can come up with something really awesome, like, crop circle origins! Or the reality of Bigfoot,”

“Or,” Teresa cut him off, “Something not so insane. Like, a missing pet or something.”

“Or a teacher’s dirty secret,” Kent began anew. “I bet Mrs. Newman is hiding something sinister.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Dante posited, “I mean, not something so extreme, but I think a mystery that’s real instead of planned could actually help Fern gain real experience.”

“No more Virgule Watteau,” Rina smiled, “Your next book is gonna be The Life of a Private Eye, by Fern Walters.”

“Wow,” Fern chuckled, “You guys have given me a lot to think about.”

“I bet we have,” Victoria grinned.

“Who knows, maybe next year you’ll have a new career focus,” Neil added.

“What do you think, Roan?” Emily asked. “Are you up for a mystery-centric summer?”

“Huh?” Roan asked, looking up from his phone. “Oh, don’t look at me, I’m just the chauffeur.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Simply a bridge-chapter, but also a character study. I attempted to flesh out the dynamics, add some background information, and set up a later plot point.
> 
> Later Gators.


	3. Breaking News

The evening ended with grace, despite the less-than-ideal dinner. Fern’s parents had moved to Crown City shortly after the start of school, and so until Fern could find a place of her own, her friends offered to take turns keeping her over the summer. Rina was the first to volunteer, and so Roan had dropped the two of them off last, before heading home himself. Rina and Fern walked up the concrete steps, stopping so that Rina could fish out her key. The door unlatched before Rina could find it, and the door pulled inward, revealing the gentle face of Paul Rilde.

“Hey, sweetheart, come on in,” he ushered Rina. “And you must be Fern! I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”

He extended a hand which Fern took. As she moved further into the house, she gazed at the pearl-colored walls, marbled floors, and elegant chandelier hanging in the center of the living room.

“It’s not much,” Rina humbly stated, “but it’s home.”

“Are you kidding me!?” Fern gleefully exclaimed. “It’s beautiful!”

Rina and Fern walked up a winding staircase to the second floor. Stopping at the first door, Rina turned to Fern.  
“Now, you can sleep with me in my room; you take the bed, and I’ll use a sleeping bag. Or you can take the guest room at the end of the hall. It’s closer to the bathroom, and you’ll have a lot of privacy. Only thing is that Victoria often sleeps over, and it’s sort of her second room. So, if you don’t mind a bunch of Queen and AC/DC posters, then by all means.”

“The guest room sounds fine,” Fern smiled.

“Yeah, I’m sure you value your privacy after sharing a room for eight months.”  
Rina opened the door to her room as Fern rolled down the hall.

“One last thing,” Rina called out, “Our WiFi network is ‘RedDragon’, and our password is ‘Firebrand’. It changes every month, but I’ll keep you in the loop. Goodnight!” She waved, disappearing into her room.

“Thanks. Goodnight!” Fern waved back, before turning to enter the guest room.  
After setting up her laptop, which included connecting to the Rilde’s wifi, Fern went about her usual bedtime routine. She exchanged a few messages with her parents, who were happy to hear she was doing well. She then opened a word document, compiling the character data she had gathered from her peers that night. After she was done, she then browsed her social media page, filled with news profiles, in the hopes of finding something juicy. She pursed her lips, screwing her eyebrows as she took in the report. It was fresh, less than twelve hours since first posting. A young girl, Robin Hawke, age 23, had been reported missing. Upon further inspection, Fern discovered that the girl was a student at McLoughlin Community College, and that her disappearance had left police “baffled”. Fern grabbed her trusty notepad, figuring this was too important for a computer file. It wasn’t crop circles, and it was more substantial than a missing pet. But most importantly, it was something real. If Fern was to learn anything, she didn’t need a training wheels mystery, she needed a breakout case. Fern smirked, it was showtime.

Fern awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and well-rested. She gracefully stretched and let out a yawn, opening her eyes to spot the time. After gathering a few effects, Fern stepped into the hallway, and upon determining that it was empty, entered the bathroom. Twenty minutes later and Fern was down the winding staircase and into the kitchen. Rina sat at the table with a bowl of cereal, quietly working her way to the last bite, while another girl, notably older, sat slumped in the end chair, snoring softly.

Rina looked up as footsteps echoed across the floor, smiling gently and greeting her houseguest. Fern returned her greeting before awkwardly looking around the kitchen, wary of touching anything she shouldn’t.

“What would you like for breakfast?” Rina offered. Fern screwed her brow in thought as Rina expounded.  
“We have cereal, but only Cosmic Crunch in case that bothers you. Or I can make you something. Would you care for some pancakes?”

“I don’t wish to impose…” Fern bashfully replied.

“Oh, it’s no trouble,” Rina slid out of her seat. “I’ll grab the mix.”

“Have a seat,” Rina said, gesturing to an empty seat as she opened the cupboard. As Fern sat down, she finally took note of the girl taking room at the opposite end of the table. 

“Did you sleep well?” Rina asked softly, grabbing a large pan and placing it on the burner.

“Excellent. That bed is so warm,” Fern gushed.

“I know. Those sheets are really great,” Rina replied, inciting a look from Fern. When Rina noticed, she added, “I’ve slept in there a few times. Change things up, y’know?”  
Fern then turned back to the still sleeping girl, as a blush crept through Rina’s freckles.

“Who’s that?” Fern asked.

“That’s my sister, Rachel,” Rina replied. “She was out late last night. She told me one of her friends went missing. I think she was giving the parents support.”  
Rachel shifted ever so slightly, lifting her tired head to the smell of cooking pancake batter. Long red hair fell over her face on both sides, before she swept it back, raising to sit upright in her chair. She ran a hand through her hair when Rina spoke up.

“Hey, sis, this is my friend Fern.”  
Fern waved shyly and uttered an awkward “Hey”. Rachel gave a weak nod before sliding back onto the table.  
“Sup.”

Fern sat back and watched as Rina began starting more food on the stove. In a few fluid motions, she had eggs, sausage links, and even some French toast on the stove, each taking up its own pan. Fern briefly contemplated the threat of a fire, but her thoughts were more focused on the new mystery she had adopted. Fern frowned in thought. It was likely that Rachel’s missing friend, and Robin Hawke were the same person. Fern had to ask, she had to begin her investigation, but taking into consideration the exhausted state of her potential witness, Fern resigned to the fact that she would have to wait for a better opportunity.  
Rina piled four silver-dollar pancakes into a plate, before adding the eggs and sausage. After moving the pans to the sink, she prepared a plate for the French toast, setting them perfectly, and walking the two plates over to Fern, who sat wide-eyed. After grabbing a fork and butter knife and handing it to Fern, Rina went to work washing the pans.

“Thanks,” Fern breathlessly said. “This is a lot.”

“It’s really no problem,” Rina replied. “You’re our guest, and guests only get the best,” she winked.

As Fern began tearing into her food, she asked, “Where’s your dad?”

“Probably out shopping for the parlor,” Rina replied. “He likes to be well stocked on ingredients.”

Paul Rilde owned a local pizza parlor, simply named Paul’s Pizza, a few blocks away from the Sugar Bowl. Fern looked at a stack of local magazines on the kitchen table, each one detailing one of the restaurant’s many achievements. Chewing through a slice of French toast, Fern picked up a magazine with her clean hand. Laying it down and flipping through it, she reached the article on Mister Rilde, scanning the pictures of Elwood City residents who frequently dined at the restaurant. One photo even showed Paul shaking hands with Kenton Drake Sr, an older man who owned Elwood City’s first independent pizzeria, Drake’s Just Pizza. Despite being competitors, Fern could tell that the smiles on each man’s face was not just for public show. Rather their comfortable body language implied a deep respect for each other. Fern smiled softly, turning the page again before bunching her brow in concentration. It was a birthday party for his daughter Rachel, with Rina and Victoria off to the side. In the picture were several girls Fern didn’t know and sitting right next to Rachel with a matching grin, was Robin.

“We took that picture two years ago,” Rina supplied, taking a seat. “Rachel was a celebrity at school for like two weeks.”

“Your dad’s very accomplished,” Fern mused, receiving her thanks from Rina.

“So, what do you want to do today?” Rina asked. Fern shrugged, prompting the girl to continue, “Well, I’m free until four,” Rina stated. “That’s when I go and help my dad out at the restaurant. In fact, if you need some work for the summer, I’m sure he’ll have you on.”

Fern nodded, saying, “I’d appreciate that. Could you talk to him for me?”

“Sure!” Rina said. “But until four, I’m up for anything.”

The doorbell rung, inciting a groan from Rachel, while Rina got up to answer it. When she opened the door, Kent and Victoria stepped in, Victoria giving Rina a hug, while Kent grinned and waved.  
“Where’s Fern?” Victoria asked. Said Fern peeked into the living room, mouth full of eggs and sausage. 

“You made her breakfast? And you didn’t make me any?” Victoria asked in mock offense, before bounding over to Fern with a huge smile. Hugging her from over and behind the chair, Victoria greeted Fern, asking, “Can I have some?” before plucking a sausage off her plate without hesitation. She moved over to Rachel, hugging her half-asleep form. Kent stepped into the kitchen with both hands in his pockets, squeezing Fern’s shoulder playfully.

“So, did you guys have any plans?” Rina asked, coming to a stop behind Kent.

“Teresa invited us over to her place for the day,” Victoria replied. “She’s got a huge TV, a miniature home theatre, and even a small tennis court in the backyard!” Victoria added this for Fern’s benefit, since Fern was new to the circle. While none of those facts particularly interested Fern, it was time spent with friends, and thus, more crucial study for her novel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Now the plot is revealed, and we can get underway. I've got some work to do on upcoming chapters, so don't expect updates for a little bit. But don't worry, they are coming. If you like what you see so far, please feel free to leave a comment letting me know what you think. I will try to get out the next few chapters as soon as they're done.


End file.
